LONDON (AP) — A senior cleric set to become interim head of the Church of England faced calls Monday to resign over his handling of the case of a priest accused of sexual misconduct.
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, allowed a priest to remain in office despite knowing he had been banned from being alone with his children by the church and had paid compensation to one of his accusers, the BBC reports. It is said that
The incident occurred while Cottrell was Bishop of Chelmsford in eastern England. He is currently the second most senior bishop in the Church of England. He is due to take over as spiritual head of the church next month from Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, who resigned in November over his handling of separate sexual abuse allegations.
In a statement, Cottrell said he was faced with a “horrifying and intolerable” situation surrounding Father David Tudor.
“When a new victim came forward to police in 2019, I suspended David Tudor at the first opportunity,” he said. “Until 2019, there was no legal basis for taking alternative measures.”
Tudor admitted to having sexual relations with two teenage girls, ages 15 and 16, in the 1980s, and was ultimately fired from the church and permanently banned from ministry in October.
“I'm very disappointed that I couldn't take action sooner, but that was the situation that passed on to me,” Cottrell said. “It is extremely unfortunate that this case is being reported as if the abuser was being ignored or protected. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth.”
The Bishop of Newcastle, Helen-Ann Hartley, one of the few bishops to publicly criticize the way the church has responded to abuse allegations, said she found the latest allegations “incredible”.
She said Cottrell lacked the “credibility or moral authority” to be a figurehead for the church.
“My personal view is that, looking at the evidence before us, it is impossible for Stephen Cottrell to be someone we have the confidence and trust to drive the changes that are needed,” she said. told the BBC.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the spiritual leader of the World Anglican Church, which has 85 million members in 165 countries. The church has been torn apart by vastly different views on issues such as gay rights and the place of women in the church.
The latest allegations are likely to further increase introspection and anger over the lack of accountability from the church's upper echelons.
Welby resigned last month after an investigation found that he failed to immediately notify police about repeated physical and sexual abuse by volunteers at a Christian summer camp. An independent investigation concluded that Mr Welby could have stopped the late John Smith's abuse sooner if he had alerted the authorities.
Welby is expected to step down by Jan. 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, and Cottrell will take over until a permanent replacement is found, a process that is expected to take several months.
